Mobile security: building trust in mobile apps

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The uptake of smartphones, tablets, and now, wearables has driven new means of communicating. It has also influenced how we buy products, changed how we bank and pay with mobile banking and mobile payment solutions, and changed the way we interact with brands. Indeed, it has created an entire industry with the app economy. Moreover, the use of personal devices for professional usage (BYOD) has further boosted the use of mobile devices in everyday life . Governments, too, are capitalizing on the mobile revolution, illustrated by the emergence of new mobile ID initiatives, such as digital driving licenses in the USA. Mobile apps have suddenly become the main way we engage with the world.

But this step-change is accompanied by growing mobile security threats. Mobile devices are becoming increasingly valuable, and hackers are shifting to attack more and more mobile apps containing valuable dat​a. According to Kaspersky Lab, the volume of malware targeting mobile devices grew more than threefold in 2015, over 2014.

It is crucial that industries and governments implement software-based mobile security solutions that protect their online resources and their IPs, as well as users' private data and personal digital IDs. Within those industries and governments, app developers must:

• Maximize user reach whilst ensuring the best protection for devices lacking hardware-based security features such as SEs
• Address the lack of control of mobile devices in the field and how they are used
• Ensure user convenience with authentication solutions that work for everyone in a convenient way, without intruding on the user experience

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How can we build trus​t in mobile apps?

At Thales, we launched a survey of over 1,300 mobile users across six markets, including Brazil, the UK, South Africa, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the US, asking people about their behavior and security expectations with regard to the mobile universe. We have collated the results in an eBook, in which we discuss the survey's findings, and analyze what they mean for industries and governments that want to protect their apps and assets while building trust with their end-users. We also explore the different authentication solutions available, such as fingerprint recognition, and more generally, our layered security approach for the best possible protection.

​Get a quick overview of our approach to mobile security for in-app protection, featuring software development kits, cryptography and risk management. This overview also includes an assessment of the different mobile security frameworks, both software and hardware-based.
 

Mobile security: how d​​oes it actually work?

Find out more about In-app security through three animated examples: secure keypad protecting against spying malware, code obfuscation protecting against reverse engineering, encryption securing access to sensitive or personal data. Those animated example shows one of the many security solutions that Thales Software Develop​ment kit can offer. ​​​​​

Find out how we secure mobile banking applications and mobile wallets, allowing banks to protect against malware attacks and to implement multi-factor authentication and transaction signing.​ ​ ​

Mobile ba​​nking protection at work

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Thales mobile software solutions rely on software development kits with the same systematic layered approach for many different use cases such as mobile banking, mobile payment, mobile government, automotive, mobile enterprise and many more.​

We support multiple industries and governments, around the globe. Our mobile security solutions support multiple security frameworks, both hardware- and software- based, to deliver best-i​n-class digital security and facilitate service deployment in a fra​gmented mobile market. We are also involved in the definition of international standards for digital security. ​

Related Blog Articles​​​​

5 ways ind​​ustries and governments can build trust with users​

What doe​​​s the future hold for biometric authentication?​

Mobile sec​​​urity – what do consumers really think?​